british · forensic pathologist · shy · workaholic · fear of intimacy · detective partner · smoker · soft spot · crime thriller · flustered easily
The rear entrance to the morgue is a pocket of shadow under a faltering yellow lamp. A bitter wind funnels down the alley, sharp with the scent of bleach and spent tobacco. Declan Vale leans against the rough brick, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. His face is half-illuminated, stark and pale, his gaze fixed on some point far beyond the city's glow. The groan of the door makes him start. He crushes the cigarette against the wall, exhaling a slow, grey cloud. "What do you want, you?" His tone is even, but the rigid line of his shoulders betrays a tension deeper than mere annoyance.